Spirited Away by Drifloon
by animatedrose
Summary: In Sinnoh, a Drifloon has been going around and kidnapping children. Hidden with the dark alleyways of Veilstone, a man trains these children to be PokeThieves. Tommy is one of these children kidnapped and trained. This is his beginning as a PokeThief.


Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for how long it is taking to update my stories! I can't come up with any ideas for Jake's fight in Quest to Capture the Shadow Pokemon aside from revealing his past. I hate writer's block so much! So I'll be writing a few one-shots to try and rid myself of my writer's block. I'll try to update ASAP once I get ideas, so please be patient with me!

This idea was inspired by a comic on deviantart by morganchan. Check it out at http:// morganchan. deviantart. com/ art/ Drifloon's-Revenge-55561591 (take out spaces). It's really funny. I was also inspired by Drifloon's Pokedex entry in both English and Japanese.

So, enjoy this bit of randomness I came up with. This is also a bit of a prologue to another story that I'm writing called PokeThief. I might do a few one-shots centering around that story, actually. Onto the story!

Spirited Away by Drifloon

Tommy was walking with his mother through the park, just like he did every afternoon. He was 3 years old with short black hair that curled at the edges and brilliant blue eyes. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, dark blue overalls, and white and blue shoes. He loved going to the park because it was peaceful and pretty. Tommy was a naïve and innocent little boy.

But that would all change today…

Something caught Tommy's eye. Floating a short ways away was a purple balloon with a yellow X in the middle of it. A pair of black dots were placed parallel on either side of the X, looking like eyes. A pair of strings ending in upside-down yellow hearts was tied to it. Tommy liked balloons.

"Mommy, look!" Tommy cried, tugging his mother's hand.

Then he noticed she was talking on her cell phone. She always did that nowadays, talking to her boss about…stuff that he didn't understand. She hardly paid attention to him on these outings anymore. He knew she loved him but Tommy wanted her to show it.

"Fine, I go get the balloon by myself!" Tommy pulled his hand free and walked toward the balloon.

His mother nodded. "Of course, I understand." She looked up to see Tommy. "Don't go too far, sweetie!" She was back on the phone before she heard his reply. "Yes, I know. Don't worry, I'll get it done by the end of next week. You have my word."

"Okay!" Tommy reached out and grabbed the balloon by its string. "Mommy, look! A balloon!"

He never noticed the black dots blinking, glinting mischievously. Tommy also didn't notice the string wrapping around his wrist. And he definitely didn't notice the 'balloon' slowing rising into the air. At least, he didn't until the string tugged his wrist and started to lift him off of the ground a few inches at a time.

"Huh? What are you doing, Mr. Balloon?" Tommy tugged the string, trying to get his feet back on solid ground again. "Stop it!" Then he looked down and saw that he was a good 5 feet in the air already. Scared, he did the only sensible thing any kid his age would do. He screamed.

"Look, sir, I know how important this is to—" The woman's conversation was cut off as Tommy screamed. Whipping around, she scanned the area before noticing her son dangling from the balloon string a good 7 feet off the ground, and still rising. "Tommy!"

She dropped her cell phone on the grass in her rush to help her son. Standing up on a bench, her fingertips just barely brushed against the soles of Tommy's shoes before he rose out of her grasp. Still, she kept trying to reach him. She shouted for him, tears streaking down her face.

"Drifloon drif!"

"Huh?" Tommy realized the balloon had just talked. "Put me down, Mr. Balloon! I want to see my mommy!"

"Drifloon drif! Drif!" the balloon, revealed to be a Drifloon, said.

"No, down! Put me down!" Tommy cried.

"Drif!"

Tommy whined. "Mommy! Help, mommy!" he shouted.

Drifloon ignored the young boy's cries. It had been forced to deal with similar cries in the past and they barely affected it anymore. It had a job to do and it would continue doing that job. It started drifting east, allowing the winds to carry it toward Veilstone City…where its master waited.

*~*~*~*

"You had to have seen him, Officer! He's a little boy that was carried off by a Drifloon!" Tommy's mother cried, slamming her hands on the table of the police officer. "Isn't there anything you can do?"

"I'm afraid not, Madame," the officer replied. "There have been dozens of missing children cases pouring in all year. We can't find every single specific child. I'm sorry. I don't think there's much we can do."

"What do you mean?! Maybe if you catch that Drifloon, you can find the other children!" she cried. "Just please! I already lost my husband! I don't need to lose Tommy, too!"

"I'm sorry," the officer muttered, turning away.

He hated seeing women cry. Unfortunately, he's been seeing a lot more of it since all those children started vanishing. The story was always the same. The child wanders off and was next seen being carried away by a lone Drifloon. Normally that would be impossible. Drifloon only weighed 2 pounds! How could it possibly carry a child between the ages of 1-5? It made no sense…

Tommy's mother sat back in her seat, crying. A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, causing her to look up. "I'm sorry for your loss, dearie." It was a young woman just a bit younger than herself. "I, too, have lost a child to that Drifloon. My poor little girl, Martha, was taken a little over a week ago."

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "What would that Drifloon want with all those children?"

"I don't know. Maybe it took them to the underworld, as legends say it is capable of doing that." The woman sat beside Tommy's mother. "Or maybe something else is behind this, commanding that Drifloon from the shadows."

"But why?"

"Who in Arceus' name knows? I just pray they're okay." The woman looked toward a bulletin board covered in dozens of 'missing child' posters. "They're so young,"

*~*~*~*

The Drifloon started to descend into an alleyway along the outskirts of Veilstone City. The moment Tommy's feet touched the ground, he pulled his wrist free of the Drifloon and tried to run. He came to a stop as a huge chain-link fence blocked his way into the city. The Drifloon started floating deeper with the alley.

"Hello? Somebody, help me!" Tommy cried, fingers gripping the fence and shaking it.

Nobody was near the fence. Nobody heard his cries. Night was falling, turning the sky a variety of pink, purple, red, and orange as the sun began to set. Nobody was coming to save little Tommy.

"Drifloon drif,"

Tommy turned and glared at the Drifloon. "Why did you take me from my mommy, Mr. Balloon? Take me back!"

"Drif," The Drifloon pointed deeper into the dark alley with a single heart-tipped string. "Drif,"

"No! I want my mommy!" Tommy fell to his knees and cried, tears streaming down his face. "Mommy!"

"Quit your crying, you brat!" a cold voice snapped.

Tommy quickly looked up and saw a strange man sitting on the crates nearby. The man was dressed in a ragged brown cloak and black pants with frayed edges. His stringy reddish-brown hair hid most of his face, save for the stubble on his chin and his cold yellow eyes. The Drifloon floated toward the man.

"Drifloon drif! Drif!" it said, gesturing to Tommy with its string-like arms.

"Ah, so you brought him. Good boy, Drifloon!" The man patted the Drifloon on the head, his grinned revealing yellowed teeth. "Say hello to your new home, kid. Your mommy won't be looking for you. Nobody will,"

"You're wrong! My mommy loves me!" Tommy cried. "She has to come!"

"She won't," the man replied. "You're in my territory now, boy. You follow my rules and you'll live another day. Break my rules and…well, how about I have one of the more 'broken' kids tell you that."

"Wait, there are more kids here?" Tommy was a bit more interested now.

"Yes, plenty more. You think I'd have Drifloon simply kidnap a single child? I don't think so." The man turned toward the darker part of the alley way. "Girl, get over here!"

"Yes, sir?" A young girl with blonde hair tied up in pigtails appeared. She had dull blue eyes, one blackened by an ugly bruise. Her red dress was covered in stains and she was holding her left arm near the shoulder. She looked around 4 years old.

"Show this brat around and get him some food. Tell him the rules and show him his quarters. If you do well, I'll give you a longer break time during training," the man promised.

The girl smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir! Come with me," She turned and walked back down the alley.

"Wait for me!" Tommy cried, climbing to his feet and racing after her.

The man smiled and patted Drifloon once again. "Okay, Drifloon. Go to Pastoria City and search for a little girl with long purple hair and silver eyes. Her name should be Rachel. Bring her here once you get her."

"Drif," The Drifloon floated high into the air and drifted west, heading for Pastoria in search of its next target.

*~*~*~*

"And this is your room."

The young girl pulled back a ragged gray curtain, revealing a pile of blankets and a single pillow. Tommy stepped inside his 'bedroom' and looked around. "Why is everything here dirty and stuff?" he asked.

"That's the way he likes it," she replied.

"You mean the guy that was sitting on the crates? Who is he?" Tommy asked.

"We don't know his real name," the girl admitted. "He makes us call him either 'master', 'sir', or 'PokeThief'."

"PokeThief?" Tom repeated.

"It's somebody who is capable of stealing other people's Pokemon by capturing them. I don't really know how it works, but I know we're being trained to become PokeThieves."

"Why?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged. "I think you should try to get some sleep. He'll be nice to you at first but don't fall for it. He does that to trick us and he'll punish any who fall for it."

"Okay," Tommy sat down in the blankets. "Don't we have any PJs?"

"No, we sleep in our clothes. He gets us new ones when ours gets too dirty or torn up." She turned and walked out, the curtain draping itself back into place. "Good night, kid."

"It's Tommy. Who are you?"

"My name…is Martha." Her footsteps faded, signaling her departure.

Tommy curled up in the blankets, trying to ignore the smell coming from them. Closing his eyes, he felt the tears coming. "Mommy," he whimpered.

*~*~*~*

Rachel was sleeping in her bed when she heard something tap on her window. The 3 year old got up and yawned, walking over to open the window. She was wearing a pale pink nightgown that reached her ankles.

The cool night breeze blew through her purple hair, making it shift slightly to reveal her strange silver eyes. She was considered a freak because of her eye color, causing her to become withdrawn and quiet. She hated her eyes so much.

A strange purple balloon with a yellow X on the front was floating in front of her window. "How strange," she muttered. "I wonder who lost their balloon?" She reached out, grabbing one of the strings to pull it inside.

Big mistake…

The next thing she knew, she was jerked outside of her window in a split-second. She screamed, grabbing the string in both hands and closing her eyes tightly. _I'm going to die,_ she thought. _I'm really going to die._

She didn't feel the sensation of falling to the ground. If anything, it felt like she was going higher. Opening her eyes, she looked down. She _was_ getting higher off the ground! She screamed a second time.

The door to her bedroom burst open and Rachel's father poked his head out of the window. "Rachel! Sweetheart, daddy's coming!" Climbing up on the windowsill, he grabbed the edge of the rook and climbed until he was standing on the roofing. Reaching up, he grabbed Rachel's ankle and started to pull her down.

"Daddy!" the little girl cried in joy.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Daddy's got you!" he reassured.

Drifloon turned and glared angrily at the man. "Drif!"

"Huh?" Then it hit him. "You're the Drifloon that's been kidnapping all of those poor children! I'm not letting you take my precious Rachel, too!"

"Drif…" A ball of black energy appeared in front of the yellow X. "FLOON!!"

The Shadow Ball collided with Rachel's father's chest, causing him to lose his grip on her ankle…and fall off the edge of the roof toward the ground below. Time seemed to slow down as Rachel watched her father slowly fall. Freeing one hand from the string she had been clinging to, she reached out to try and help her father.

_Thump…thump…thump…_

Her father looked at her and smiled, his hand reaching out for hers.

_Thump…thump…thump…_

Rachel stretched her tiny fingers, only to watch in horror as she missed his by barely a centimeter!

_Thump…thump…thump…_

Her father started to fall toward the grassy ground below, still smiling at his daughter.

_Thump…thump…thump…_

Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes as she watched him fall.

_Thump…thump…thump…_

Time sped up again and her father crashed into the ground below with a crash. People ran out of their houses to discover the commotion and gathered around his broken body. Rachel screamed but the Drifloon had carried her too far up to be heard by her neighbors.

"DADDY!!"

*~*~*~*

Tommy's mother sadly looked at the broken man in the hospital bed. He had broken his left leg and a few ribs, but the worst thing was his broken heart. The man's daughter had been swiped by a Drifloon just hours ago and he fell from his roof trying to save her. His wife was in the waiting room, crying.

"Who's doing this? Who's taking our children?" Tommy's mother whispered.

She turned and left the hospital room, saying goodbye to the man's wife. As she walked home, she kept looking at each and every child she passed. _It could be one of them,_ she thought. _One of these children could be next._

*~*~*~*

Tommy at his stale bread and watched the new girl closely. She had come only last night and she hadn't said a word. She hadn't eaten her breakfast, either. Martha, the girl who had shown him around last night, was sitting with him. The new girl had been identified by the PokeThief as Rachel.

"Hey, aren't you going to eat?" he asked.

The purple-haired girl shook her head. "Pass,"

"Why won't you talk?" he tried again.

"Pass,"

"Did that Drifloon kidnap you, too?"

"Pass,"

"Why won't you answer me?"

"Pass,"

"Tommy, stop it! Maybe she doesn't want to talk." Martha said. "Just eat your breakfast. He's going to be training us after this, so you better be ready."

"Okay," But Tommy couldn't stop wondering about Rachel.

*~*~*~*

"Ow…" Tommy moaned, clutching his chest.

The training was tough. The kids were forced to attack the PokeThief as a group and try to overpower him. They all failed and were beaten for it. Martha limped beside him, still clutching her left arm as she had been the day he met her. Rachel was pinching her nose to stop the blood from flowing out of it.

"You okay, Rachel?" he asked.

Rachel simply nodded. At least she stopped saying 'Pass' now.

"Hey, you want to be friends?" Tommy asked.

Rachel blinked and looked at him in confusion. "You want to be friends…with me?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Tommy said.

"Don't my eyes scare you? Or make you hate me?" Rachel asked.

"Nope! I think they're cool, Rachel!" Tommy replied, smiling.

"Cool?" Rachel had never had that word used to describe her before, especially her eyes. "Aren't I a freak?"

"We're all a bit of a freak in one way or another," Martha said.

"So, you want to be friends?" Tommy asked again.

Rachel slowly smiled. "Yes," she nodded. "I think I'd like that."

*~*~*~*

It was raining in Veilstone City. Seven years have passed since Tommy was kidnapped by the PokeThief. For the first time, he was finally leaving that place behind him. It's not that he hated it anymore. He just felt it was time for him to go out into the world and fulfill his duty.

The gun, a silver pistol that used to belong to the PokeThief, was left at the opening of the alleyway. Tommy didn't need it anymore. The gun had fulfilled its designated purpose. The moment it had gone off, the other children had fled. Now, with the gate destroyed, they could all go home to their families. They could live normal lives again and put this horrible event behind them.

He couldn't do that. He had a job to do now. That job had been given to him by the PokeThief just moments before the man took his final breath. Tommy wasn't going to kidnap kids like he did. He was doing his job solo.

The raven-haired boy walked toward the Pokemon Center. His clothes were splattered with rain, mud, and blood. His blue eyes were cold, the innocent look of seven years ago having departed. Following him was the very same Drifloon that kidnapped him seven years ago.

The blood wasn't his. Tommy had committed a terrible deed but he hardly cared anymore. His heart had frozen over from all the cruelty and death he had been exposed to. Clutched in his right hand was a brown backpack. In his left was a crumpled and faded photograph that had been taken by an old camera Martha had found nearly four years ago. He, Rachel, and Martha all had a similar photo.

Entering the Pokemon Center, the people inside immediately made a fuss over him. Nurse Joy pulled him upstairs and questioned him. "I got in a fight and I won," he replied.

He was given a room and was ordered to clean himself up. Tommy stepped into the room, looking around curiously. He couldn't remember what it was like to sleep in a normal bed or take a normal bath. Stepping into the bathroom and undressing, he turned the shower on and stepped under it…leaving both the curtain and bathroom door wide open.

Luckily, Nurse Joy didn't walk in on him. He tried himself off with a dirty towel in his backpack and left his filthy clothes on the bathroom floor, changing into cleaner clothes from his bag. Pulling all the blankets off the bed, he put them on the floor and curled up on them. Drifloon simply floated around the room throughout the night.

The next morning, he left the room a complete and utter mess when he left the Pokemon Center. Pulling out a map, he pinpointed where he wanted to go and grabbed onto one of Drifloon's strings. The balloon Pokemon floated high into the air, carrying Tommy with it. Drifting southwest, they soon landed.

A villager walked up to him. "That was some mighty nice flying there, kid. You a Pokemon trainer?"

"You could say that," Tommy replied. "Is this Twinleaf Town?"

"Why yes, it is! You staying here for a bit?" the villager asked.

"For a day or two," Tommy nodded. "Then I'll be off to Sandgem Town. I have business with Prof. Rowan."

"Okay then. What's your name, anyhow?"

"It's Tom," Tommy answered. _Tom the PokeThief,_ he finished in his mind.

As the villager led him through the town, Tom looked at the photo he had been carrying since he left that stinky alley in Veilstone. In it was a young raven-haired boy of 6 years old with his arms around two girls. One was a 7 year old blonde clutched her left arm. The other was a silver-eyed 6 year old with long purple hair.

_I wonder if I'll ever see you again…Rachel, Martha,_ he wondered.

"Drif,"

"That's right, buddy. This is the start of our new journey." Tom patted the Drifloon and stared at the sky, grinning. "Starting with stealing one of Prof. Rowan's Pokemon!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TBC…?

This story of the PokeThief was actually inspired by the cheats I used throughout my Pokemon Pearl game. First, I entered the 'maximum amount of money' cheat, followed by the 'capture other trainer's Pokemon' cheat, and then with the 'all Poke Balls have 100% catch rate' cheat. And there you have it! The PokeThief story!

If anyone wants those cheats for their Action Replay, I'll happily give the codes to you. I might be posting another one-shot concerning Tom the PokeThief in the future. I hope you liked it. Please review!


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